Lawmaker wants to split legislative sessions

LEGISLATURE Leader seeks to split budget, bill sessions

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, December 26, 2009

Photo: Robert Durell, Special To The Chronicle

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Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), left, president pro tem of the California state Senate talks briefly on the senate floor at 2:15pm July 23, 2009, in Sacramento shortly before it recessed. The senate and assembly are meeting to attempt to pass a new budget to deal with a $26 billion shortfall. less

Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), left, president pro tem of the California state Senate talks briefly on the senate floor at 2:15pm July 23, 2009, in Sacramento shortly before it recessed. The senate and ... more

Photo: Robert Durell, Special To The Chronicle

Lawmaker wants to split legislative sessions

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Concerned that the state Capitol has become too much of a "bill factory" at the expense of other governmental functions, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, plans to call for a major overhaul of the way the Legislature does its business when lawmakers return in January.

In an interview with The Chronicle, Steinberg said he wants further limits on the number of bills that lawmakers can introduce and he wants to divide the two-year legislative sessions into a year of budgeting and oversight and a year to consider new legislation.

And he wants to start that soon.

"This year needs to be focused on oversight and outcomes and the deficit," Steinberg said, adding that the Legislature needs "to show people we are serious about getting as much out of this government for the people as possible."

Other proposals

The proposal resembles legislation introduced by Republican senators and a proposed ballot measure. Depending on what changes are suggested, the overhaul could be done by the Legislature or it could require voter approval.

Last year, Steinberg imposed a 40-bill limit for each senator when he became the leader of that body. That followed the lead of previous Senate presidents who had imposed limits. Steinberg said he wants even tighter restrictions, though he did not give a specific number.

"I don't know what the number is, but enough of a cutback where there is time and attention paid to oversight and outcomes," he said.

Fifteen states pass a budget once every two years, but the trend during the past few decades has been toward annual budgets as populations grow and issues become more complex, said Sujit CanagaRetna, a senior fiscal analyst with the Council of State Governments in Atlanta.

He said that because of the economic calamity still facing California, "possibly moving to a session where you didn't deal with any budget issues might pose some complex problems."

The state has the longest scheduled session of any Legislature in the country.

The California Legislature did alternate years of budgeting and legislation from the end of World War II until 1966, said Greg Schmidt, the secretary of the Senate. But the Legislature consistently was forced to hold special sessions in off years to tackle budget problems. In 1966, voters overwhelmingly approved changes to the state Constitution to create a full-time Legislature that began annual budgeting.

More time

Proponents of a change think an intense focus on the budget and oversight of programs would make budgeting easier, giving lawmakers more time to delve into complex spending issues. Now, lawmakers deal with thousands of bills as they debate the budget.

"The dirty little secret is we can't really examine the legislation we get," said Sen. Mark Wyland, R-Solana Beach (San Diego County), who has introduced a constitutional amendment to split the two-year session as Steinberg has suggested. Wyland said it could increase bipartisanship at the hyper-partisan Capitol because both parties are interested in avoiding wasteful spending.

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Baldwin Vista (Los Angeles County), agrees, because one proposal under consideration would allow legislators to introduce a bill after a deadline if it is written by members of both parties.

Bass said she thinks the split session is a good idea but wants it considered along with other reform proposals.

"My main goal would be allowing members to delve into issues a bit deeper than they are now," Bass said.

Such a change also could blunt the push to return the Legislature to part-time status, which backers are trying to put on the November ballot. But the main proponent of that measure, Gabriella Holt, said the proposed changes would not satisfy her aim, which is to eliminate career politicians. Holt ran unsuccessfully for the Assembly last year.

"If ever there was a time when the Legislature needs to be asking tough questions about where money is going and if programs are doing what they are supposed to be doing, it's now," said Robert Hertzberg, co-chairman of reform group California Forward and a former Assembly speaker. "It's certainly not the time to put more and more laws on the books."

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